share

DATABASE: Catalog of Close Shaves

A crowd of asteroids and other debris mills around our solar system, and occasionally a good-sized object whomps Earth. The researchers who run the Near Earth Objects Dynamic Site (NEODyS) are keeping their eyes on more than 2500 of these space rocks, such as Eros (below), that wander within 45 million kilometers of our planet. In this cybercatalog, sponsored by the University of Pisa in Italy, each asteroid merits its own statistics-rich page. It lists the object's brightness, recent and projected close approaches to Earth and the other planets, and additional data. The Risk Page gauges the chances that any of the asteroids will ram us. For news on the latest near misses, background on asteroids, and other info, follow the link to Tumbling Stone, an online magazine co-sponsored by NEODyS.